In five years on the job, Connie Backoff has discovered issuing marriage licenses is nothing short of interesting.

From age gaps to unusual date selections and divorce-marriage-divorce patterns, Backoff said she has seen it all.

Curry County has averaged about 565 marriage licenses issued per year for the past five years.

Backoff said 2006 had the highest number at 611, and this year is on track for the average with 468 as of the end of October.

“I was thinking we were down because of the economy but we have jumped around,” she said, explaining some months are slower than others.

A popular misconception: Rather than Valentine’s Day, it is actually strange dates, such as 10-10-10 or Friday the 13th that attract the betrothed, she said.

“People just like those weird numbers like that. People like to get married on the 13th if it’s a Friday,” she said. “They just pick weird dates.”

Amanda and Aaron Boydstun are among those, though Amanda said it was a complete accident that put them at the altar Friday, June 13, 2008.

She said she and her husband ended up getting married on the 13th after they had chosen the 14th because the number four has heavy significance for her family. They discovered it was Flag Day, however, and were unable to rent any facilities for a reception.

“I just said, ‘OK, let’s just do it on Friday,” she said. It wasn’t until later when someone mentioned the bad luck associated with Friday the 13th that she said it clicked.

Two years later, Boydstun said they are still happy but do occasionally tease each other.

“I guess we don’t believe in bad luck. Everything went fine and our marriage is fine,” she said.

“We tease each other (though). We’ll say, ‘Oh man it must be because we got married on Friday the 13th,’” she said.